Blackstone Group announced plans to acquire Japanese digital manga publisher Infocom for 275.8 billion yen (approximately $1.74 billion), including a public tender offer at 6060 yen per share, Infocom said on Tuesday.
Infocom stated that the amount for the public tender offer will total 141.4 billion yen. Its current parent company, Teijin, further mentioned that after the acquisition is completed, it will repurchase its 58% stake in Infocom for 134.4 billion yen.
Infocom operates the digital manga website Mecha Comic, one of the largest platforms in Japan.
In recent years, interest from global investors in Japanese companies has surged significantly due to the weak yen, strong open markets, and corporate governance reforms, making mergers and acquisitions more attractive.
According to LSEG data, mergers and acquisitions in Japan reached a record total of $35.5 billion in 2023. Blackstone Group stated that the Infocom deal is the largest private equity transaction in Japan this year.
Since the first reports of a potential acquisition last month, Infocom's stock price has doubled, rising from less than 3000 yen in early May to 6030 yen on Tuesday.
Teijin, a diversified company with chemical, medical, and internet businesses, stated that it expects to gain a consolidated profit of 105 billion yen from the sale of Infocom in the current fiscal year (ending March 2025).
